CAROUSEL
by The Baked Potato
Summary: When braniac high school student Arthur Kirkland moves with his brother to Barcelona, Spain, he is anything but enthusiastic about the move. But maybe, with a little curiosity, luck, and influence from a native of Spain, he'll learn to like the sun-kissed country. Human AU, SpUK. Mentioned FrUK, Germano, and PruIta. Rated M for smut in later chapters.
1. Barcelona

**Chapter 1: **Barcelona

The first thing I thought when I showed up in Spain was that it was _incredibly_ hot. Of course, it may help that it was the middle of the summer, and Spain is obviously a humid country—but when you're from the cold, wet island of England, anything seems overbearingly hot.

I could tell that the heat bothered my older brother, too, because without me even mentioning the humidity when we were in the car, he rolled the windows up—save for a small space on his own to let out his cigarette smoke—and turned on the air conditioner. Usually, Allistor doesn't mind the weather, regardless of location, so him paying any mind what-so-ever was amazing all by itself.

It was that kind of stubborn attitude that got us stuck in Spain to begin with. You see, my brother was well known around the pubs back in the U.K. because he could drink endlessly and not pass out—he did get shit-faced drunk, though. Anyways, one of his co-workers just happened to challenge him to a drink-off, and like the stubborn and competitive bloke he is, he accepted. Oh, and did I mention this co-worker hated his guts? Oh, yeah—it was bound to end badly. To make a long story short, Allistor won, but not before letting his co-worker know how much he hated working with the company. Somehow, through the drunken delirium, that guy remembered all the trash talking and told their boss about everything. Thus, Allistor got fired.

So why did we go to Spain? Well, the same day that Allistor got fired, he met a Spanish man who had come to England to promote his up-and-coming company in Barcelona. Allistor had taken Spanish in college, and when he got to talking to the business-owner, he learned that he was looking for someone to handle payroll—the exact same job Allistor got fired from at his previous job. Without thinking too critically, my brother took the job, packed us up, and moved us out here to Spain.

A rather large bump in the road jolted me out of my thoughts as we were on our way down the road to Barcelona. "Argh! Could you be a little more careful?!" I asked him, fixing him with a scowl.

"Could you be a little less of a twat?" he asked in reply before inhaling a drag from his cigarette.

"What did you say?" I half-yelled, crossing my arms.

Allistor just rolled his eyes. "We'll be in Barcelona soon, so don't ruffle your panties, grandma."

"Ugh…" I scoffed and eyed the buildings far off on the horizon. Those buildings were going to be my new home for the next few years, until I get out of high school and move back to Great Britain. I was going to have to pointlessly memorize all of the streets, get to know people, and avoid getting tricked—it's a miracle that I took Spanish at my old high school, or I'd be thoroughly skrewed.

I didn't want to have to sit in silence, so I turned on the radio, only to realize that everything was in Spanish, and they were talking so fast that I couldn't translate as easily. So, I kept turning it from station to station until I found an international pop station. Well, at least there was a chance that an English song might come up. That, at least, kept me quiet until we arrived at the city.

Barcelona was packed with people on the sidewalks, as well as cars in the streets. There were countless shops, and quite a few buildings were sky-high. I watched in awe through my window before I heard scuffling beside me. I looked over at Allistor, who grabbed a piece of paper from a compartment between our seats. I heard him mumble, "Let's see… The building should be right up here…" He eyed the paper for a quick moment before returning his eyes to the road. Every once in a while he'd glance at the signs on the buildings, as he was looking for something. Then, after a couple blocks of "Not there," I saw his eyes light up.

He turned into a parking lot by a building and parked before rolling the windows down half-way. "Stay here while I run in there. I won't be much more than a couple minutes," Allistor said before turning off the car and getting out.

_Yeah right,_ I thought, _Like hell, a couple minutes… You'll be in there for an hour._

With that, he walked around to the front entrance, locking the car as he went. I huffed, unbuckled my seatbelt, and slouched in my seat as I stared out the window.

And that's when I first saw him.

There was a café across the street from the parking lot I was in, and through the large windows on the front, I saw three people who looked to be about my age. One of them had wavy blond hair and what looked like stubble on his jaw line. His expression told me right away that he was a jackass. The second one looked like he was albino, because he had bright silver hair and very fair colored skin—his expression also made me think he was a jackass. And then there was the third. I could already tell by looking at him that he was Spanish, and he had short, wavy chocolate hair and caramel-colored skin. He was displaying a light-hearted grin, and I guessed that he was laughing at something another one of them said. It was then that he turned and looked out the window—although, I swore he was looking right at me. He stared for a moment, and grinned before turning back to his friends.

At that point—and I don't even know why—I sunk in my seat to hide myself from view. God, that Spaniard had a brilliant smile. It was as if sunlight was radiating directly from him when he did such a simple stretch of his muscles. I tried to wipe the image from my mind, but I found myself wanting to take just one more glance at him. So, after a couple moments, I swallowed my pride and slowly inched my eyes back up over the bottom of the window.

The trio looked as if they were agreeing on something. The Spaniard pulled out his wallet, and placed money on the table before the three of them got up. One by one, they each walked out of the café, and I could barely make out their laughter through the sounds of traffic. As they walked, I noticed the brunette stop. He looked right at me, smiled, and waved. I finally got a good look at his eyes and noticed they were bright, emerald green—similar to my own. I swallowed and slowly raised my hand to wave back. He laughed what looked like a light-hearted, friendly laugh, before I barely heard over the cars, "Hey! Toni! Hurry up, you slow poke!" Wait, was that English, and with a German accent? I glanced over and saw it was the albino speaking.

"Si, si..!" I heard the Spaniard reply, as he regained my attention. I looked at him, and he looked at me, before he turned and headed off after his friends. I suddenly got the urge to shout for him, and make sure that it really had been me he was looking at. I inched my hand to the doorknob when…

"What are you doing, Arthur?" I heard from behind me, and looked over to see Allistor opening his car door to get in, giving me an extremely skeptical look.

I just stared at him for a minute before glancing back to the three guys, only to see that if I would have decided to shout something now, they would be too far down the street to hear me.

I straightened my posture and buckled my seatbelt. "Nothing; maybe just observing people here, that's all," I answered my brother.

He smirked and me, as if holding back laughter. "You're weird," he said as he shut the door and buckled up.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes before he chuckled and turned the car on. As he drove out of the parking lot and down the street, I looked back at the trio. I wasn't sure if I was curious, or really how else I would have felt. But I had a feeling I would be meeting them very, very soon.


	2. Hopscotch

((See what this pairing makes me do? I couldn't sleep because I needed to start this story. And now, here I am with the second chapter because immediately after submitting the first chapter, ideas for this one came to mind. Aargh…

Anyways, I hope you guys like this story, even though it has a strange name. Don't worry, I plan on incorporating the name in the story later on, so… Yeah.

Oh yeah, you guys came here to read the next chapter, not my rambling. Hahaha, here you go-))

**Chapter 2:** Hopscotch

"Arthur, can you give me the box cutter?" Allistor said after pulling one box off of the mountain the movers had left for us to sort through. He held his hand out expectantly and I put the tool in it. He muttered what sounded like a 'thank you', but with Allistor, it could have been 'chicken'. One would never know.

As he cut open the box, I walked over to the sofa and made myself comfortable—well, as comfortable one could be in a stuffy apartment with no air-conditioning. I felt as if I was going to melt into the cushion. We had already arranged the furniture, and of course, the movers _had_ to put the box containing the rotating fan somewhere in the middle of the mountain of boxes Allistor put himself to work opening. I sighed, and watched as my older brother unpacked his collection of shot-glasses.

"How much longer until you unpack the tellie, or even some books?" I asked, yawning out of boredom.

"Hell if I know. How much longer until you actually start doing something productive?" Allistor quipped back.

I sat up a little. "What—I _did_ help, mind you. Who else helped move that bloody entertainment center over there? You certainly didn't do it yourself…!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, grandma, cool your jets. I was just joking around with you," Allistor said with a smirk.

"Yeah, right," I muttered, sinking back into the sofa.

"What was that…?" he asked as he placed his shot-glasses on a shelf next to what he designated as the liquor cabinet—it was actually a medicine cabinet. "Listen, why don't you go outside for a while and get some fresh air? If I need you, I'll call for you." He turned back and eyed me before jabbing one of his long, boney fingers at me. "And don't you run off and ditch me."

I rolled my eyes, and for once actually agreed with Allistor's suggestion. "Whatever," I said, lifting myself up from the comfort of the couch. I walked out, and almost immediately, the temperature around me dropped a few degrees. "Damn stuffy apartment," I muttered and slipped my hands in my pockets as I walked down the corridor. I began to hum lightly as I made my way toward the front door of the apartment building.

And that's when _he_ walked in.

"Adios, mi amigos!" said a familiar Spanish man as he waved at someone on the other side of the door—I could only guess it was his friends from earlier—before he turned around.

For a moment, we both just stood there, staring at each other in a silence almost heavier than the heat. I guess he felt it, too, since he put on an all-too-trusting smile and said, "Hola, you must be the new neighbor, si?"

I couldn't even begin to guess how he'd figured out I spoke English, but that didn't matter. How the hell did the coincidence happen that I ended up living in the same apartment building as some random guy I saw on the street?

I didn't reply to him; I simply turned around and walked the other way out of embarrassment of how I'd behaved earlier. "Ah, did I say something wrong?" he asked, but I kept walking until I met the _other_ exit to the building. I opened it to a little playground. I figured it was only appropriate, since there were apartments everywhere in this part of the city. There was a small group of little kids playing, and so on whim, I decided to stay and watch to alleviate the odd sense of embarrassment.

There was two kids on the playhouse, one on a swing, and three that were playing sidewalk games with chalk. I could only guess it was hopscotch, since they were all jumping in a rhythm, and each took turns.

"Hahah, aren't the little kids so cute?" spoke a voice right next to me.

I looked over to see the same Spaniard there, watching the children. As I got to look at him, he really did look like he was just about me age, if not just a year or two off. Since I didn't feel like running off again, I simply answered, "Yeah,"

Suddenly, he looked at me with a bright expression. "So you _are_ English! Aha, I knew it!" He put on his sunshine grin again, and I realized seeing it from a distance was nothing like seeing it up close. It was… Mesmerizing. "Oh, perdoname, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo. I live in apartment number four." He rubbed the back of his neck.

I cleared my throat before I spoke. "I'm Arthur Kirkland. My brother, Allistor, and I just moved in. In fact, he's still unpacking."

Antonio laughed. "I already know. The landlord told me about the two of you when I asked why he was taking the 'for rent' sign down." He paused before speaking again. "I never thought that you would be my neighbor. When I saw you over by the café, I thought you were a tourist, or something. But, what an odd twist of fate—it's really nice to meet you!"

I swore that the whole time he spoke, his words were going a million miles a minute. I was going to respond to him, when suddenly we heard three soft voices saying, "'Tonio~! 'Tonio~!"

We both looked at the three girls who were playing hopscotch, and one of them said something in Spanish that I could barely translate to 'come play with us'.

Antonio grinned at me. "Feel like a game of hopscotch?" he asked.

I just gaped at him. "But—that's a child's game!" I retorted.

He laughed and walked toward them, grabbing my hand to pull me along. "Come on, it'll be fun, si?" I let myself get dragged into it. Not because I wanted to, but because Antonio's hand felt so soft that I oddly didn't want to let go of it yet. "You know how to play, right?" he asked.

I scoffed. "Of course! They play this in the U.K., too, you know."

"Good! I'll go first, then you go, okay?"

"Alright."

Antonio then let go of my hand and began jumping to the instructions written in poorly scripted Spanish on the sidewalk. Once he finished the series of twirls, jumps, and one-legged stumbles, he ended it with a cheerful jump. "Your turn, Arthur!" he said, though my name sounded more like 'Arturo'.

I hesitated for a moment, contemplating if I should really do this, and the fact that if Allistor saw this, I'd never live it down… But I bit back those screaming doubts and gave in to my inner child as I completed the little obstacle map. However, as I did the last jump, I tripped on one of my shoelaces, and fell right into something—Antonio.

We both fell to the ground, and landed with me on top of him. For a minute, I let realization sink in before I clambered away. "Oh, god, Antonio. Sorry I'm so clumsy." I said, but as I looked at him, I figured that I didn't need to be sorry.

He was laughing so hard, the vein in his forehead was pulsing, and his cheeks were red. "Oh, dios mio! That was hilarious!"

I simply stared at him like he was a mad man as he laughed it out.

"Ahahah, that was really fun, don't you agree, Arthur?" the Spaniard asked and I looked at him skeptically. People in Spain sure are _weird_.

It was then that I heard a familiar voice calling for me—Allistor. "Oi! Arthur, get your butt in here and help me situate the television!" I heard him call.

I gave Antonio an apologetic look. "That's my brother. I should probably go…" I said.

"Oh, one thing really quick, Arthur. Are you going to be attending the nearby public high school?" he asked.

I blinked. "Um, yeah…?"

"Aha, very good. Maybe we'll have some classes together, hm?"

So he was in high school, after all. What a small world. "Yeah, that'll be nice," I answered him.

Then I heard Allistor again. "Arthur, get over here, you old grandma!"

I glared in the general direction of the voice. "I'm not old, you twit! I'm much younger than you are!" I then got up and walked into the building.


	3. Burned Tea

**((Oh my god, thank you so much for the reviews! I literally squealed like a little school girl when I read them, and I am so proud of what little I've written on this story thus far.**

**And I just thought I'd answer a question or two really quick, so—**

**Yes, I will include somewhere in the story how Arthur ended up in Allistor's custody. I already have it planned out. :]**

**And there will be more awkward times with Arthur and the Spanish culture before he gets into school, so I hope you look forward to that. xD**

**Anyways, I know that you came here for the new chapter of CAROUSEL, not my ramblings. So here it is— *bows and moves away to let you read***

**Chapter 3: **Burned Tea

"Allistor, get up, you lazy ass," I grumbled as I pushed him into the sofa with my foot. I had just finished reading a chapter of a Sherlock Holmes novel we unpacked when I found him like that. From the opened bottle of scotch on the coffee table, I could easily tell he had drunk himself to sleep—what an idiot.

He grumbled and shifted a little to glare at me through crimson locks of hair. "Fuck you, prissy-boy."

"Only in your dreams, dumbass."

"Don't get smart with me—I'm older than you."

"Thus, the point I've always tried to make when you call me 'grandma'."

We just glared at each other for a moment or two, before he heaved a sigh. "Fine, fine… I'm getting up. I'd be damned if you ever let me sleep on the couch." He then sat up lazily and used the arm of the sofa to pull himself up into a standing position. He wobbled a little, so I put one of his arms over my shoulders to help him to his bedroom.

"God, you're bloody helpless when you're like this, you know," I told him as I guided him back to his bedroom. He really was too fond of smoke and alcohol—I could swear that it'll kill him someday.

As he stumbled against me, I pushed open his bedroom door and guided him over to his bed. I made note of how _fucking hot_ it was in his room. Well, mine was, too, but at least I kept my window open and a fan going. It was just like Allistor to forget to do both. Sighing, I flopped the git onto his bed and covered him in just a sheet. It was too hot to even think about putting a blanket on him, unless I want a grumpy Allistor to deal with tomorrow. Well, grumpier that his usual hangover, that is.

I went over and opened his window and flipped on the fan before leaving his room.

Walking into the kitchen, I decided to have a quick cup of tea before bed. I put some water on to boil with a teabag, glancing at the clock as I did so. It was 11:08 PM, but as I looked out the window now, I noticed that Barcelona was still a while away from resting. I could hear the cars from the nearby street, and I could hear music from somewhere down the street. But, it was a rather large city, so it was only logical that some people would be awake at this kind of time. But it still wasn't good for those of us who actually slept at night. Yawning, I leaned against the counter, staring at all the golden lights out of the kitchen window. It was like they were fireflies in the darkness, though it was doubtless that they were not.

I huffed and walked into the living room as I waited. The teapot would squeal when it was boiling, anyways, so I didn't need to stand there and wait the whole time. I laid on the same sofa that Allistor was previously resting on, folding my arms behind my head as I stared at the ceiling. There were small spatters of paint that made it look like little pictures were engraved in it. As I sat there, I picked out several pictures that I thought were faeries, a pirate, a unicorn… One of them even looked like some kind of bunny with wings on its back. But, as I stared at that ceiling, I came to realize how drowsy I was getting. I blinked a couple times before I nodded off into sleep.

"_Hey, Arthur! Arthur, watch!"_

_I looked around before I saw a familiar blond boy, laughing as he dangled from the monkey bars on the playground. "Be careful!" I shouted._

_He laughed. "I know, bro!" He then heaved himself up to sit on the top of the bars. His amazing strength amazed me more than anything else. He was just a kid, and he could easily pick me up._

_I watched as he swung his legs, grinning. He then gasped and shouted, "Mom! You got off work early?"_

_I turned to see the red-haired woman I recognized as my mother. "Alfred, what are you doing up there, you silly kid?" There was a twinge of worry in her voice. "Arthur, go get your brother down from there—he could get hurt!"_

"_Y-yes, mom…" I walked over to the monkey bars. "Come on, Al, time to get down."_

"_Aww…." He pouted but swung down so he was dangling again, and I grabbed him._

_I turned around. "So, mom, what are you doing here anyways?" Alfred squirmed in my arms so I put him down._

"_Your father wanted to know if you wanted to stay with him for a while, since Alfred has that camping trip with his school soon, and it would only be the two of us if you stayed here."_

_I cringed at the thought of staying with my father. Living at his house was also my three older brothers, who loved to pick on me—especially Allistor. But I could tell that my mom needed a break from the two of us. It was as if she was coming apart at the seams. "Yeah, I can stay with him. Does that mean you're going to drive Al to his camping trip by yourself?"_

_She smiled. "Yes, I can handle it." She walked over to me and ruffled my uneven, choppy hair. "You're such a good boy, Arthur. I'm proud to call you my son."_

I awoke to a loud screeching squeal, and it took me a moment to gather my thoughts as I wiped rebellious tears from my eyes. I took a deep breath and got up, trudging along in him pajama pants to the kitchen. However, once I saw the teapot howling and bubbling over, I rushed over to take it off the burner, forgetting to grab something to cover my hands. "Fuck!" I shouted as I quickly drew my hand back in pain. "God damn this bloody teapot…" I sucked on my burned finger as I pushed the teapot off the burner and went to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. Popping it open, I put a little ointment on my burn and covered it with a band-aid.

And that's when I heard some noise coming from the corridor outside of the apartment. "What now…?" I groaned. However, I was quite curious, so I walked to the front door and cracked it open, just a little.

"Mon ami, I am not quite sure that girl _wanted_ to dance with you…"

"Someone as awesome as me…? No way! She was definitely into me."

"Shh, por favore, please try to keep quiet. Some of my neighbors are trying to sleep."

They then came into view as they passed in front of my door. First, it was Antonio, fumbling with his keys as he walked to his door. Following behind him were the two friends I had seen him with at the café. They were probably crashing at Antonio's place for the night, from what I could tell.

And that's when I did the stupidest thing ever.

I had forgotten to lock the chain into place, so while trying to get a good look, I slipped. The door slid open behind me, and I fell face-first onto the floor of the corridor. The three of them became quiet, and I was sure they had all turned to look at me. "Ugh…" I grunted.

"Oh, hola, Arthur! What a strange way to introduce yourself. Do they do this in England, too?" I looked up at him and his innocently goofy smile.

"Like hell, it is." I stood up and dusted myself off—and before I knew it, I had a blond man who smelled of cheese and French cologne in front of me. "Toni, you should have told me one of your nee neighbor was this good-looking," he said, showing me a flirtatious smile.

"What…?" I heard Antonio say as he walked over.

I was still trying to get a grasp of the situation as the seemingly French man took my hand and kissed it. "Bonjour, mon chere, my name is Francis Bonnefoy, but you can just call me Francis." He winked.

I just stood there for a moment before yanking my hand back. "What the hell? I was just wondering what all the ruckus was about! I'm returning to my apartment!"

"Hey, Arthur…" I heard Antonio say and I stopped for a moment to look at him.

"I've been meaning to ask you, but I haven't been finding the right time to do so… Would you like to go with us to a party tomorrow? It'll be really fun! It's going to be hosted by a really good friend of mine." He looked away as he paused. "Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to go, because we have room for one more."

I just stood there and stared for a minute. "I'll think about it," I said and watched as his face lit up. "Now get inside of your apartment before you disrupt more of our neighbors." I then turned to go back inside of my own apartment, once hearing an excited 'si' as I closed the door. I locked the door and went to the kitchen.

Opening the teapot, a horrid smell came over me. Hanging my head, I dumped out the somehow burned tea and rinsed out the pot. I heaved a sigh, deciding just to go to bed. There was too much to think about right now, and I didn't want to have to drag it out much longer.


	4. Crush

**((Oh, man, I never thought I'd stay this motivated to write a story, but I've been itching to write this chapter. I've been excited because more characters are going to be introduced soon—Not one, or two, but THREE! I can't wait to see what you guys think!**

**Anyways, without further adieu, here's the next chapter of CAROUSEL.))**

**Chapter 4: **Crush

It was around seven o'clock the next evening when I found myself straightening my tie. I was wearing a black dress-shirt under it, sleeves rolled up. I had a few bracelets on my wrist—one of them reading in silver letters, 'Anarchy of the U.K.' and another that was just beads colored blue, white, and red. The others were just black beads or silver bangles. Did I mention that my tie was the Union Jack? I wore a simple pair of black jeans with a wallet chain and black leather belt. As for my shoes, I went simple there, too. It was just a pair of black lace-up shoes.

As I attempted to fix my hair, I noticed Allistor in the doorway. "What's got you all done up, granny?" he asked with a smirk.

I shot him a glare. "Oh, shut it. I was invited to go out with Antonio and his friends tonight."

"Antonio…?" He looked confused for a moment, but it was visible in his expression when he realized who it was. "Oh, you mean that guy who lives in apartment four… Okay."

I clipped on my ear cuff before turning to him. "How do I look?" I asked.

I could tell he was holding back laughter. "What are you—a schoolboy on his first date?" He reached over and clapped me on the back. "You look fine. Remember to pick up a lass for me, too."

A chuckle let loose from me. "As if I would meet anyone who would be interested in an ass like you!"

He shrugged. "Still worth a try. Plus, you're not a gentleman in the aristocracy yourself, brother!" I slugged him. "Ow!" He gave me a quick sour look, rubbing his arm. "Hell, I was just being honest. Now go before your ticket to a good lass leaves without you, Romeo."

I rolled my eyes and left the apartment, just as Antonio and his friends were leaving his. I looked at them, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the Spaniard. He was wearing a white v-neck t-shirt with a black vest over it, with black trousers and classy black lace-ups. He had a wrist-band on his right wrist and a crucifix hanging from his neck. Then, atop his head was a fedora, where his chocolate poked out beneath it. I gulped and suddenly felt my hands get a little clammy—which was a completely strange reaction to have toward a guy, mind you.

He looked at me and his face lit up into a brilliant grin. "Arthur! You decided to come along after all?" he asked, and I nodded.

I took the chance to look at the other two, as they turned to acknowledge me. Francis was wearing a black long-sleeve t-shirt that read 'Vive le France' on it with the Eiffel Tower. He must've been wearing a white dress shirt beneath it, because I could see the collar at his neck and the tail beneath the t-shirt at the waist. He was wearing a pair of jeans and some sneakers, and what looked like brand-name sunglasses. His blond hair was tied back into a low pony-tail. Once again, his expression made him look like a jackass.

The albino—who I had yet to learn the name of—was wearing a black v-neck t-shirt and a unzipped dark blue (Prussian blue?) hoodie over it. He was wearing slightly baggy jeans with some lace-ups. He had a watch on one of his wrists and a set of black headphones hung around his neck. The cord led to what seemed like an MP3 player in his jeans pocket.

As I looked over the silver-haired man, though, he fixed me with a smirk. "If you take a picture, it'll last longer."

I was about to reply with something smart, but Antonio cut me off before I could say anything. "Gilbert, be nice. Arthur's a friend."

The albino laughed—more like cackled—and said, "I know. The awesome me was just making conversation, is all." He then looked at me for a while. "Oh yeah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Gilbert Beillschmidt, the best thing you've probably ever laid your eyes on. Don't worry, I don't charge for looking, but if you want to touch, you're going to have to take me out first!"

Francis looked at him, almost offended. "That was the worst pick-up line ever!"

"No way—I said it, so it has to be the best one you've ever heard, ja?"

Antonio interrupted. "Um, guys, maybe we shouldn't argue about this now. Lovi wanted us to show up early to help set up."

I blinked a couple times; I haven't heard that name yet. "…Lovi?" I asked.

Antonio grinned at me. "Remember that friend I told you about who is hosting this party? His name is Lovino Vargas. You'll meet him when we get there… Oh, but don't get on his bad side. He might stick his muscle-head boyfriend on you."

Gilbert spoke up. "Hey! Don't talk about my brother like he's some kind of guard animal!"

Antonio looked back at him in apology. "Sorry, Gil," he said before he continued, " Anyways, it's not difficult at all to get on Lovino's bad side, so I would suggest just relatively leaving him alone. I'm a childhood friend, Gilbert is his boyfriend's older brother, and Lovino is afraid of Francis for some reason, so he leaves us alone… But he doesn't know you, so watch yourself."

"I understand, chap. But if we don't want to anger him, shouldn't be get there in time?"

Antonio laughed with a helpless smile. "Oh, right… Now that I think about it, you don't have a moped or anything, do you?"

I frowned and shook my head. "Afraid not."

Antonio walked over to me and hung an arm around my shoulders. "It's okay, you can ride with me on my Vespa."

I suddenly felt my face heat up, and wanted to hit myself for it. But Antonio just smelled really good… "Ahah, okay, let's do that." I said awkwardly, and I thought I heard a chuckle from one of the other two as Antonio removed his arm. We then all walked out to the parking lot after Antonio locked his apartment door.

Gilbert hopped on a black Harley, which I was surprised he would have had. Francis had a blue Vespa that looked like a newer model than Antonio's red one and he sat in the seat on it as Antonio climbed onto his and patted the extra space on the seat behind him. I could only assume that meant 'get on'. "Hey, Gil, can Arthur borrow your extra helmet?" he asked

The albino finished fastening his own helmet before saying, "Sure," He reached on the back of his bike, where there was another helmet, and tossed it to me. "Catch!"

I awkwardly fumbled it before getting a good hold of it and I put it on as I sat on the back of Antonio's Vespa. He already had his headgear on and he started up his engine. I noticed that he had his fedora in the crook of his arm. "Want me to hold that?" I offered.

"Sure!" Antonio said and I grabbed it for him as he started driving out of the parking lot. "Hold on!" he shouted, and he didn't have to tell me twice for me to wrap my arms around him. I realized at that moment how muscular he was. I could feel his warm, toned chest through the shirt he was wearing. I fought with myself not to run my hands over him and feel everything. But the thoughts were yanked from my mind as Antonio sped up down the street, followed by Gilbert and Francis.

Was it wrong that this felt really good, to be holding onto Antonio like this…?

Within about twenty minutes, Antonio pulled in front of some expensive looking apartments and parked in the corresponding parking garage, followed by his two friends. Unwillingly, I unwound my arms from his waist as he turned off the engine. I took my helmet off and ran a hand through my hair to get rid of the helmet hair. However, I looked over just as Antonio took off his helmet and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. As his fingers were tangled in those chocolate locks, his olive green eyes found purchase on me, lit up by that sunshine-like smile. "Enjoy the ride?" he asked. If my eyes served right, I swore his smile turned a little into a smirk.

I definitely wasn't going to keep my cool around him for too much longer.

"Yeah, it was alright," I replied, looking away as to not look like some creeper.

He chuckled softly, getting up. "Good." He latched his helmet to the moped and took mine before doing the same with it.

"Well," I heard Francis say behind us. "Are we going to keep out Italian friend waiting?"

**((The new characters are going to be introduced next chapter~! Also, it's safe to assume Arthur has a bit of a crush on Antonio at this point, hmm?))**


	5. Flashing Lights

**((Once again, thank you all for your reviews! They keep me writing this story, and away from getting bored of it. xD**

**The new characters are going to be introduced in this chapter, so let me know if I keep their personalities right, okay?**

**Anyways, on to the story-))**

**Chapter 5:** Flashing Lights

We made our way to the elevator as I realized exactly how nice this apartment building was. It looked much better kept than my own, or the one I lived in while I was in the U.K. There was decorative vases and chandeliers in the lobby, and I felt a bit shabby and rugged compared to all the nice things.

"Lovi and his twin, Feliciano, came from a wealthy family in Italy," Antonio said, catching my attention. I could only guess he saw me staring around in awe. "Because they were home schooled, they finished their schooling early. When they were kids, their family came to a vacation home here in Barcelona. Lovino was the rebellious type and snuck out all the time, and that's how we became friends. Then, as soon as the twins' parents loosened the leash on them, so to speak, Lovi and Feli moved here together."

By the end of the little story, we were standing by the elevator, waiting for it to come down to ground level. That's when Gilbert spoke up. "It was Toni who introduced my brother and I to the twins. Can you believe that Lovino actually used to hate us? Well, he still hates me, but I guess my brother grew on him, since they're together now." The elevator opened and all four of us stepped inside. "Speaking of Lud, he should already be here."

As we all turned to face the door, Antonio pressed the button to—wait, the penthouse? "They must be really well off," I said, not sure how to deal with all of this.

"Told you," Antonio said with a laugh as the door to the elevator closed and we began to move up. "Don't worry, Lovino knows you'll be here. I told him ahead of time."

"Okay," I said as we kept moving up. I then felt a hand on my shoulder; when I looked over, it belonged to Francis.

"Trust me, he's not as intimidating as he seems. But if you get too scared, you can always cling to me, you know." He smirked.

I shot him a quick scowl. "..Scared? As if I would be." I turned back to the front.

"I was only offering," he said, holding in his voice what seemed like mock offense.

The elevator then made a soft, '_ping!_' as the doors opened to a small hallway with one apartment door in front of us. Antonio went ahead and knocked on the door, us following behind. The door opened to a guy whose skin tone was quite similar to Antonio's, and he had dark brown hair parted to the side with an odd-looking curl sticking up from his part. He had quite a grumpy look on his face as he said, "About time you got here, you tomato bastard. The party starts in an hour, and there's still a lot to do." I realized that he had a heavy Italian accent.

"S-sorry, Lovi… I brought help, though," Antonio said, gesturing to the three of us behind him.

The Italian huffed and looked at Francis and Gilbert. "So you brought your two idiots, huh?" His eyes narrowed when he saw me. "And who's the guy with the huge eyebrows?"

I wanted to quip something back to him for that comment, but Antonio spoke before I could. "His name is Arthur. He's a new friend of mine." Antonio looked back at me. "Oh, and Arthur, this is Lovino Vargas. I was telling you about him."

"Mhm." I watched as Lovino looked me over.

"I see. Well, all of you, get in here. My brother and the potato aren't enough help, and we only have little time." He then turned and walked into his apartment, leaving the door open for us, and we followed. As we walked in, I got a good view of exactly what preparations we were making. There was boxes of lights and banners and glowsticks and more that I couldn't discern. There was a tall blonde guy and someone I could only guess was Feliciano, because he looked almost identical to Lovino, save for his lighter brown hair—though he also had a curl that stuck out on the right side of his head. The two of them were putting up a string of lights on the far side of the room, but when Feliciano saw us walk in, he dropped what he was holding and ran over.

"Gil!" he shouted as he nearly tackled Gilbert with a hug. I could hear the blonde who was helping with the lights grumble in frustration.

"Hey, Feli," Gilbert said, patting his back with a blush. "It's been a while, hm?"

"Si! It's so good to see you!"

I felt a little awkward watching the display of affection, so I turned to Lovino. "What do you need help with?" I asked, nervous about talking to him for the first time.

He looked at me with the same grumpy expression as before and said, "Well, I guess you can help potato-eater over there"—he pointed to the blond—"finish putting up the lights."

"Alright," I answered and walked over to the rather intimidating guy on the other side of the room. "Hi… I'm Arthur. Lovino asked me to help with the lights."

He huffed a little. "I'm Ludwig," he said, "And I could use a little help. Once my brother shows up, Feliciano is basically useless for much of anything." He picked up the lights and handed most of the roll to me. "Here, I'll put them up if you'll hold them."

"That sounds good," I said as I held the roll for him. He then took the stapler he was using and continued stapling the lights to the wall.

I'm not going to make the story boring and explain how we put up each set of lights against the wall, but I'll say that Ludwig was mainly working quietly the whole time. Antonio and Lovino set up the DJ booth and refreshments, and Francis tested the strobe lights, disco ball, and surround sound.

"So, who's the DJ going to be?" I asked Antonio and he laughed. "I convinced Dimitry to come do it. He wouldn't admit it, but he's actually pretty good at being the DJ at our parties." As if right on cue, the door knocked. "That's probably him now."

Lovino went over to the door and opened it to a guy with strawberry blond hair and what looked like bright red eyes. He was wearing a miniature hat with red and white ribbons on it with a red trench coat with matching stripes on the cuffs. How the hell could he wear that in this heat? "Hey, guys! I'm here!" he shouted as he walked in. "Let's get this started! I think I saw more people on their way up here, by the way."

"Then get to the DJ booth. I'll get the strobe lights going," Lovino said. The blond guy walked over to the DJ booth and started thumbing through CDs and picking one he liked before he put it on; it was some kind of electronic-rave music. Suddenly the lights went out… then the strobes and wall lights came on, filling the room with flashing and blinking colors. The room then began to fog up a little, and I realized there were fog machines set out around the ground.

Lovino kept the door open and stood by it as people began slowly flooding in. I was dumbfounded by how quickly the room was packed with people I didn't know, and anyone I recognized was lost in the crowd of people dancing.

I began to feel worried as I made my way over to the refreshments table. I figured that eventually someone would come for a snack, and when they did, I'd spark up a conversation. So there I stood, awkward and waiting. I noticed some people gathering in a circle as if watching someone dance, but I fought off the curiosity as I helped myself to a slice of pizza. As I took a bite, I realized quickly that it wasn't the pizza I'm used to… It tasted a lot better. But I then figured it must be because of the fact that is was made by Italians.

It was about that time that I heard loud chants of "Toni! Toni! Toni!" If there was anyone I knew, that had to be it. So, after finishing the slice of pizza, I made my way over to the circle of spectators and noticed something interesting… Antonio was in the middle, along with a guy in a white mask who had a little stubble. They were dancing—and really well at that.

I found myself staring at Antonio as he moved his body in ways I couldn't even imagine. He shifted his arms and shoulders as if they were a running river, and he spun like there was no friction beneath his feet. He shook and shifted every part of him in a way that was so senual that at times, I wasn't sure where to look. But, as I glanced up at his face, his eyes met mine. He made his way over, the eyes of a large portion of the crowd following him, as he began to _dance_ on me. He held onto me as he swayed his hips side to side. Then he leaned in and murmured into my ear, "Dance with me."

I gulped and realized that my hips began moving all on their own. I hung my hands from his hips and he chuckled lightly.

"You're too uptight, Arthur. Loosen up." He then moved back and pulled me with him, making my stumble forward awkwardly.

"I can't dance," I told him.

"Of course you can," he said with another chuckle as he pressed a hand to my chest over my heart, his other on top of mine on his hip. "Follow me," he said.

He moved his hips more gracefully under my hand as he stepped back, making complete eye contact with me. I shuddered, but followed his movement. I felt as if my soul was linked with his, and everything around us was slowed down. He turned us and moved so that we were in shrouded in the middle of the crowd. A smirk pulled at his lips as he grabbed my tie and suddenly pulled me forward, within inches of his face. I felt my face heat up several degrees as he chuckled.

Then, before I realized it, his lips were on mine.


	6. Stuck on a Carousel

**((Wow, already chapter 6? It really hasn't even been two weeks since I started this fic, and now it seems like I'm getting ideas for it left and right. Now, understand that I'm going to be starting work soon, so you may only see a new chapter either every (or every other) week. I can't make any promises, but I'll definitely try to get a new chapter out within about ten days of the last. If I don't, I sincerely apologize. **

**Also, notice the chapter title. Finally, you'll understand the name of this story! xD Don't let me keep you… Get to reading! ))**

**Chapter 6: **Stuck on a Carousel

Antonio's lips stayed connected to mine for a few moments, and I wasn't sure how to react. I had absolutely no wits about me _to_ react, in the first place. So I just stood there, hands on his hips, letting him kiss me. Normally, I'd have protested such an affectionate act, especially in front of that many people, but Antonio's lips felt so soft and _warm_ that I didn't want to pull back. I might have kissed him back, even, but I was far too shocked and embarrassed to even _try_ something like that.

Then Antonio pulled back and my mouth just gaped with unformed words. It definitely wasn't something very gentlemanly to reply in some kind of way, but how the _hell_ would one reply to _that_? Antonio just studied me for a moment before the slightest laugh came from the back of his throat—I could have confused it for a small choking noise had I not known better. "Arthur, I don't think it's good to leave your mouth open like that." I nodded and shut my mouth, but tried to understand his expression. Of course, I still barely knew Antonio, so it was obvious that he was more than a little difficult to read. Though, despite that, I saw a hint of doubt hidden in his eyes. I was about to ask him about it, but then I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Antonio, what do you think of my party so far, huh? Better than that shit you took me to in the city when we were kids!"

Antonio broke eye contact with me and looked to the side of us to the owner of that voice—none other than Lovino. "Es mucho bueno! Much better than the others, you're right." I noticed that he completely removed himself from me as he spoke, batting my hands away. This confused me, but I noticed the amused look on Lovino's face as he'd realized we were dancing together. But Antonio didn't come across as the type to be bothered by that kind of thing, which confused me even worse.

"Good! _Someone_ had to show you what fun is really like, huh?" Lovino asked with a laugh.

"Y-yeah, you're right…" Antonio replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

That's when Ludwig came through the crowd to stand behind the Italian, as if some kind of body guard. Lovino looked over his shoulder questioningly. "I thought you were going to going to break up that conflict…?"

"Didn't have to. The moment they saw me coming over, they did it themselves," Ludwig replied, face as serious as ever.

Lovino smirked at him. "That's what I like about you, Ludwig. You're strong enough to stand equal to me, rather than grovel at my feet." With a chuckle, the Italian pulled the blond down for a kiss.

As if in response, Antonio grabbed my hand and forcefully pulled me away from them. "A-Antonio…?" I sputtered out, the first thing I'd said since the kiss _we_ shared. Of course, abruptly pulling me away like that was more than obviously strange.

"L-let's get something to drink, si?" he asked as he pulled me toward the refreshment table, "I bet you're parched, and I'm a l-little thirsty, myself." His voice began to falter worse toward the end of the phrase and I had a feeling I knew why he wouldn't let me see his face.

"Antonio, what's wrong?" I asked, taking a shot in the dark as I yanked my hand back so he'd look at me. And, surely enough, the saddest frown was planted on the very same lips that had been pulled up in a smile only minutes ago.

"Nothing…" he said, and I was sure it was out of reflex, but I could tell it was definitely a lie. The Spaniard heaved a sigh and looked around. "Alright, I'll explain… Come with me to the guest bedroom. It's too loud out here."

"Okay," I said, and let him lead me through the crowd to a door. He grabbed a key from the top of the door frame and unlocked the door before opening it.

"After you," he said, stepping back.

I walked in and he shut the door behind us and locked it. "So what's this all about, Antonio?" I asked, turning to face him.

He just frowned at the floor for a while before he looked up at me. "I used you," he said, then returned his gaze to the floor.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Of course, I should have seen this coming—good things don't come so easily without a catch.

He began to twiddle his thumbs. "I've had feelings for Lovino for as long as I can remember, and when I planned to confess, he fell for that damned Ludwig. Ugh, I don't like saying this, but I _hate_ that German. The only reason I didn't fight for Lovi when I had the chance was because Gilbert would have never forgiven me if I'd have stolen his precious little brother's boyfriend…" He got a bitter look about him. "But _he's_ the one who stole Lovino from _me_! I'm sure that if I'd have acted sooner, _I_ would be the one out there dancing with him on the dance floor!"

I just stood there and took this all in as I watched Antonio begin to tremble and sniffle. "Augh… Don't start crying. Suck it up…" I couldn't believe how much I sounded like Allistor when I said that. I even reached out and put a hand on Antonio's head. "Look, he may not like you like that now, but he might come around… And if not, go find someone more worth your time, aye?"

"That's just it, though…" he spoke up again, "My experience with romance is like a carousel. There's me, on one horse, then every other horse has no one on it… Of course, some people get on it every now and then, but… Eventually they find someone else on the carousel that they'd like to get to know better, and they leave. Even if I try to go faster to catch someone first, I can only go as fast as the little metal horse lets me." He heaved a sigh. "I wish that I could get off of the carousel, too."

I found myself frozen at those words, save for my arm falling back to my side. I really didn't know what to say then.

"Listen, m-maybe… We shouldn't associate for a while… I'm so sorry for getting you wrapped up in all of this. I-if you need a ride home, ask Francis, okay?" He didn't wait for a response before he left the room, leaving me dumbfounded and feeling like shit.


	7. Francis

**((Lol I'm SO sorry the last chapter was so sad! D: But don't worry, it'll work out some time… Or will it? *epic hand swishing* Anyways, I'm not going to keep jabbering… On to the next chapter!))**

**Chapter 7: **Francis

A week passed since Lovino's party, and Antonio and I haven't spoken other than the occasional 'hello' while passing each other in the hallway, that is. It was just like we hadn't gotten along that well in the first place—or that all of that didn't happen—but I had more wits about me than to believe that. So now Allistor was my only company while I waited for school to start so I could put all this behind me and put my chin up.

Until one day, when I was lying on the couch, doing nothing in particular, and I heard a knock on the door. Allistor was already working, so he wasn't home until early evening. Therefore, I had to get up and get the door.

As I approached, I decided first to look through the little hole on the door to see who had come to my home at this hour. I saw a smirk surrounded by wavy locks of golden hair, and curtained by light stubble. "Francis…? Are you drunk or something? Antonio's place is one door down and across the hallway." I figured he came here by mistake.

"Ohonhon~" He had the oddest laugh that made me think he was _trying_ to be a stereotypical French person. "Actually, I'm here to see you, my English friend."

Quirking an eyebrow, I unlocked and opened the door, letting him see me in my 'London' T-shirt and Union Jack pajama pants. "What do you want?" I asked him.

He lifted his hands in a pose that made me think 'I'm not guilty' before he responded, "Today is the twins' birthday, and everyone else is out getting them gifts. Now I'm bored, and I want you to entertain me, since I'm sure"—he looked me up and down as if judging me by my attire—"you don't have much to do today."

"Why don't _you_ go buy a present for the twins?" I asked.

"Ah, well, Lovino hates me, and it would be unfair to get a gift for only Feliciano."

"Uh-huh."

"So, mind if I share your company?" He winked, which made me _swear_ he had ulterior motives in that French mind of his. But hell, I've been used once since moving to Spain, so what the hell? Might as well live while I can.

"Sure. Do you want to come inside while I change?" I asked.

"By all means, thank you."

I turned and walked toward my bedroom and I could hear the door close, so I was sure that Francis closed it after entering. "I'll make you some tea once I'm finished," I told him as I began to pull my t-shirt over my head. My hair became even more tousled, if that was possible, as I slid the article of clothing down my arms. I didn't hear any response from Francis, so I said, "Sound good?" Though as I turned to look at him, I noticed that he was just staring at me. "Francis…?"

As if snapping out of some kind of trance, he blinked a couple times and replied, "Oh, tea..? That's fine. But you have to let me buy you lunch some time in exchange."

I looked at him skeptically as I realized that he just asked me out on a date. I smirked. "Sure, sounds like a plan."

I saw his face light up with slight surprise, and a chuckle forced its way out of me before I walked to my room to get some clothes. I just grabbed a pair of jeans and one of those double-shirts that have the t-shirt on top and the long-sleeve on bottom. This one sported Blink 182's logo. After stripping off my pajama pants, I slipped on the new clothes and left the room.

Upon walking into the living room, I noticed Francis looking as the pictures Allistor had put up. "Francis…?" I said, announcing that I'd entered.

He turned to look at me before he asked, "Is this your mother?" he asked, looking back at a picture. I walked over and stood beside him before I looked for the picture in question. And there it was—Mom and Alfred were on a park bench, smiling as the picture was taken. I frowned. It's been three years, and I still can't get over what happened to them.

"Yeah," I answered him, "That's her, and my little brother Alfred."

"Where's you and your older brother?" he asked.

"I was taking the picture, and Allistor, along with my other two brothers, lived with my father, so they weren't there." I had a horrible time covering up times when I was upset, and I'm sure Francis saw right through it. "A-anyways, I'll go start on that tea."

"Wait, Arthur. What happened to them? Why are you here with Allistor and not them?" he asked, and I hoped he wouldn't.

Clenching my fists I answered, "I don't feel comfortable talking about it. Sorry…"

He didn't respond, so I continued onward to the kitchen and put the teapot on the burner, full of water to boil. "Did they pass away?" I heard a little bit to my left.

I looked at Francis, who looked rather concerned. Heaving a sigh, I decided to just suck it up and tell him. "Al had a camping trip with his school coming up soon, so Mom had me go stay with my Dad for a while since I'd be home alone a lot of the time if I stayed with her." I paused for a moment, trying to keep my voice calm. "Mom was giving Al a ride to school on the day of the trip, and when they got there, this guy showed up with a gun. He shot about fifteen little kids and four adults. Two of the casualties were my Mom and brother." I couldn't look Francis in the eyes as I said all of this. "My Dad and I didn't see eye to eye, so when Allistor finished Uni and got his own place, I moved in with him."

That's when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear about that, Arthur."

I shrugged his hand off. "I'm okay about it now. I'm not an emotional little girl, you know."

Francis frowned and pushed me up against the counter, and I swore I heard a door open as he did so. "Look, it's okay to express how you feel, Arthur. You should know that," the blonde told me.

"What the hell is this?" I heard from the entrance to the kitchen, and both Francis and I looked over to see a rather shocked Allistor. "Who are you?" he asked, looking pointedly at Francis. He didn't even give him time to answer before he came over and pulled the French guy off of me. "You better not be planning anything, are you?"

Francis looked quite threatened by this so he just looked at me. "I… Think this is my cue to leave. I'll see you later, okay…?"

My somber expression turned into one of light amusement as I agreed with a nod.

With that, Francis backed out of the room and I heard the front door close. "Yeah! You better leave! You pervert!" Allistor shouted.

"Um, Allistor…?"

"What?"

"Thanks for chasing off one of my friends."

He looked at me with an expression that said 'You're friends with _that guy_?' before he just smirked. "No problem."


	8. Friends

**((Oh my god, guys, I'm so sorry for taking so long updating this time. You've all been super cool to review on this story thus far, and I couldn't dream of having a better audience for this… Experience I'm writing… If that's what you'd call it x] I'd like you all to know that I truly appreciate all your support, and with it, I will continue writing CAROUSEL. Well, that's it for my little schpill (sp?). Onward to the new chapter.))**

**Chapter 8: **Friends

Another three days passed since Francis' visit, and all those buried memories decided to bite me in the ass. I would read, listen to music, watch the tellie—no matter what I did, those haunting thoughts always raised from the back of my mind and abducted my conscious. It was always the same, too. The sight of their bodies in the caskets and the memorial at Al's school, the feeling of deep-rooted guilt that I wasn't with them when they passed, the echoed voice of Alfred saying "Arthur!"—they were all stuck in my head, just like the first year after they died.

"Hey, Arthur… Arthur!" I was snapped out of my musing upon Allistor nudging me. "Someone just knocked at the door. Can you get it?" It was a lazy day, just after noon. It was still undeniably hot, but at this point, I'd learned to deal with the heat.

"Why can't you get it, you lazy git?" I asked, pushing him as I heard the knock this time.

"I have a rare illness where I can't open front doors. The doctor told me to just stay down for a couple days." He made a mocked ill look, and I rolled my eyes before getting up.

The knock sounded yet again, and I shouted, "I'm coming, I'm coming!" However, I didn't expect this visitor, of all, to show up.

I found myself face to face with a caramel skinned, chocolate haired Spaniard. He put on that smile I was familiar with when I first met him. "H-hi, Arthur. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me…?" His eyes were pleading, like this was going to be something much more important than a walk.

Studying him with great speculation, I simply nodded. "Yeah, just… Let me put on my shoes."

Antonio laughed a little. "Sure," he said as I turned and walked back inside to retrieve my shoes.

"Who's that?" I heard Allistor ask from the couch, beer in his hand, as he looked over the back of the couch. I figured he'd have gotten up for a drink earlier while I was spacing out.

"His name is Antonio… A friend of mine," I explained as I grabbed my shoes, "We're going to go for a walk; is that fine?"

Allistor waved his hand as if to say 'whatever' and turned back to the tellie. I made quick work of slipping the shoes on and tying them before I walked back to the door.

"Ready?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah."

Antonio lead the way down the corridor, and I followed after shutting the door. We walked out of the building and along the sidewalk, Antonio just a step ahead of me the whole time. We were just walking in complete silence; it was a heavy silence that made me seriously feel like there was a bag of bricks on my shoulders. "Um, Antonio…?" I finally spoke, shattering the awkward quietness.

What was more strange was the cheery mood the Spaniard had as he answered, "Hm?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this walk isn't just for fresh air and exercise, is it?" I asked, raising a brow. I watched as that cheery attitude turned into one of awkwardness and anxiety. It was so visible, as he began shortening his strides and his eyes dropped to the ground.

"You're right, amigo. I… Actually wanted to talk to you about how I've been behaving, and… About that night."

I glanced around and noticed Allistor's favorite coffee shop just a short walk away. "Why don't we discuss this over coffee?" I asked, and he nodded. Thank god I just happened to have an OCD about keeping my wallet on me at all times. It was something I picked up from misplacing it too many times.

I lead him over to the coffee shop in that unbearable silence again, but I reminded myself that I was finally going to be freed of the awkwardness between Antonio and I.

Upon walking in, I ordered two cappuccinos—an English toffee for myself, and a mocha for Antonio. His eyes lit up a little as I ordered that for him. "Something wrong…?" I asked.

He shook his head. "N-no… Just… I don't believe I've ever told you my favorite cappuccino."

With a shrug, I answered, "You didn't; I just guessed." The barista then gave us our coffee after I paid, and Antonio and I walked over to a table with no other customers around it. I noticed a few people on laptops around the shop, and I figured it must be a WiFi hotspot. I made a mental note for later. I set my coffee down before taking a seat. Then, I waited for Antonio to take his seat before I told him, "Okay, lay it on me."

With a frown, Antonio's eyes dropped to the mocha cappuccino, the foam still swirling about. "I'm sorry," he said, sighing. "I shouldn't have used you like that… And now I feel like you don't want to be my friend. I wouldn't want to, either, to be honest." His olive green eyes finally came up to meet my own. "I can assure you that I'm not like that, Arthur. It was so _stupid_ of me… And you've only been nice to me. Not to mention, you're a foreigner, and I probably gave you a really bad image of the people here… And..."

I interrupted him. "Are you finished rambling yet?" He stopped speaking and just stared at me, utterly confused. With a sigh, I continued, running a hand through my hair. "Look, I don't give a care why you did it, and I'm not going to say you didn't make me feel like you were leading me on, but… I'm willing to be friends, if that's what you're getting at."

He just continued to stare at me with that dumbstruck look as I took a sip of my coffee. "R-really? You're going to forgive me, just like that?"

Swallowing the hot liquid, I shrugged. "My older brother is a total asshole. I can handle a disappointment here and there and not freak out. Don't worry about it."

Antonio's posture slacked a little, and his face relaxed into his natural smile. "Thanks, Arthur. I promise that from now on, I won't do anything to ruin our friendship."

I nodded as I took another sip. And I was relieved to know that I've finally made a friend out of an awkwardly ruined romance. Antonio closed his eyes as he sipped his own coffee, and as we sat there, a silence came over us that was one constructed of tranquility, rather of awkwardness. And, for the first time in three days, I felt a little relaxed.


	9. Hit the Books

**((Here we are at chapter 9, and it's about time, don't you think? I've had several ideas, but I decided I'd finally go straight to the start of school, instead of dragging this on. So, here you go~))**

**Chapter 9:** Hit the Books

I sat on the bench outside of my apartment complex, towel around my neck and open bottle of water to my lips. The refreshing liquid spilled into my mouth, as I tilted my head back to ease it down my throat. With every gulp, I noticed how the bottle in my hand shrunk, along with the amount of water within. Upon drinking the last drop, I heard a familiar voice ask, "Thirsty?"

I looked up to see a familiar French man, holding an ice cold bottle of water, holding it out to me. I accepted it, and replied, "Shouldn't anyone be, after going on a jog through this heat?" To punctuate my words, I used the towel hung around my neck to wipe the sweat from my face.

Francis sat beside me on the bench. "You know that you can use the gym, right? They keep it air-conditioned and fresh in there. Toni, Gilbo, and I always work out there."

I turned the cap on the water bottle, and is opened with a satisfying 'pop'. I brought it to my mouth and took a nice, long swig of the cool liquid before answering him. "The more I sweat, the more calories I burn."

"And, the more chances of a heat stroke." I reached over and wiped a dribble of water from my chin. "I know I wouldn't want that to happen to you, Arthur."

I pushed his hand away. "Bah… I just feel more comfortable running where there's actual terrain, instead of pretending there is with a treadmill." I took another drink from the bottle, draining it as well.

Francis simply put up his hands in surrender, "Fine, fine… I'm only worried about your health, is all." I nodded and got up to go inside. "Though… If you did want to use the gym…" I turned around and he held out a gold card that had Spanish words on it. "Here's a premium membership card, just in case you change your mind..?"

I looked at him skeptically before taking it. "Thanks, I guess."

Francis got up from the bench. "Anyways, I should be getting back to Toni's. Him and Gilbo are waiting up for me. Oh… And School starts on Wednesday. I hope you've got your uniform."

I turned pale—I thought I was perfectly ready for school, so how did I miss that I needed a uniform?

As if mocking my surprised face, Francis laughed and said, "Well, you better get to it, then." Following this, he walked inside to Antonio's apartment. Immediately, I walked inside and went to my own apartment, closing the door behind me and throwing away the empty water bottles. I took the towel from my neck and wiped my face before throwing it in the hamper in the bathroom. I gathered my clothes from my bedroom and took a nice, cool shower before getting dressed into my normal clothes.

After all of this, I went to the phone and called my brother. After about four rings, he picked up. I could tell he recognized the number because he answered with, "Hey, little shit. Why're you calling me at work? I'm not your mommy."

I smirked and returned the insult. "Oh really? I thought you took over that position a few years ago."

I could _hear_ Allistor grimace as he became serious. "I can't talk long, so what's up?"

"Uniform," I told him, as I leaned up against the kitchen counter. "My school requires students to wear a uniform. And guess what? I don't have one."

"Oh, is that it? Well, I got one for you already. It's in the entry way closet. Now, I've got to let you go before my boss shows up."

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you when you get home, I guess."

"Mhm, bye." I heard the familiar _click_ of the phone being hung up on the other side.

"Bye," I said and pressed 'End' on the telephone before hanging it up. I then went to the closet to look at my uniform. Upon opening the door, I was greeted with several jackets that I doubt we'll ever use, a few umbrellas, some flashlights, some boxes that read 'Christmas decorations' in Allistor's handwriting, and a plastic dress bag. Figuring the bag had my uniform, I unhooked its hanger from the pole and put it down on the kitchen table. I unzipped the bag and found myself gazing at a dark blue sweater vest over a white dress shirt. There was a red tie, and dark blue slacks, along with a blazer, in the case of cold months. The school symbol was on both the blazer and the sweater vest. I got a good look at the uniform before I zipped it back up and hung it in my own closet.

It was then that I realized that I was _this_ close to school and I haven't been studying or preparing for it. So, I dug through the books in my closet, and found some college-level textbooks to study with. Of course, I was still in high school, but it didn't hurt to be a little ahead of my class. So, I cracked open a science textbook and began studying.

About four hours later, I found myself sitting upright on my bed, open notebooks and textbooks spread out around me as I jotted down notes for just about every subject, so that I wouldn't have problems with them when I would actually _be _in school. About then is when I heard a knock at my bedroom door. "Come in," I said, not moving my eyes from the theories, mathematical equations, and structures of literature.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a head of red hair show through the opening door. "Hey, I brought home dinner."

"Mhm," I said, as I jotted down another note.

"You can stop that for a moment to come eat, Arthur. It won't kill you to actually learn something in school, other than on your own with textbooks."

I looked up at him, and for once since I cracked these books open, I put my pencil down and got off my bed. "Fine," I said, and I walked out of my room to eat dinner.


End file.
